Optical connections: The Arsenal connection

Arsenal Football Club has a rich and interesting history, but not only on the pitch. There are club chairman Sir Henry Norris’ shenanigans: engineering the Gunners’ move from south to north London and then getting Arsenal promoted to the First Division at the expense of their established north London neighbours, Tottenham Hotspur. More recently there is the cat-and-mouse battle for ownership of the club ending in victory for the American, Stan Kroenke. One man, who also held high office in the optical world, provides a link between Norris and Kroenke.

From at least the early part of the 19th century the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (WCSM) looked more to the affairs of the City of London than supporting the optical craft. To this end the Company invited many prominent City figures to join its ranks with the result that, between 1845 and 1961, the WCSM could count 31 Lord Mayors of London among its membership, 20 of whom were also Master of the Company on at least one occasion. The third last on the list, who was also the last to hold both these offices (both in 1946), was Sir Bracewell Smith.